


Sunshine

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 02:44:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15233601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: Shiro and Keith see their first sunrise since they left Earth [Shiro/Keith, post-S6 fic, cw for past trauma/death]





	Sunshine

Title: Sunshine  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Past trauma/death. Shiro is not in a good place emotionally in the beginning of this fic.  
Notes: For hc_bingo, prompt is “arena." There is very not subtle reference to ST:TNG in here as well

\--

Shiro woke up alone, entombed by black and silver metal.

… No, he reminded himself, remaining arm moved to cover his eyes. The Black Lion wasn’t a machine. She was real, alive. She was the reason **he** was alive. It was just that after she had rejected him, he didn’t feel the connection anymore. That was all. Really.

Allura had assured him that it wasn’t a rejection—but the unfortunate consequences of retrieving his spirit from the Black Lion. She’d then rattled off all the things Shiro had done for them that hadn’t included piloting a Lion, and perhaps if he were in a better place mentally, he would have believed her. 

But right now, he was in the body of someone who tried to murder Keith, who he loved more than anything. He had memories of playing games and fighting Keith that felt every bit as real as the thrill when he was selected for the Kerberos mission, or the fear when he first stepped into a Galra arena. He wouldn’t burden Keith or any of the others—they were all so busy these days. And he couldn’t talk to the Lion anymore. Perhaps that was for the best—she didn’t need another Paladin that fell to his darkest impulses.

“You’re an imposter,” he whispered bitterly to—to himself. “They finally succeeded in breaking you, warping you into something else. You claim to love them, but all you did was hurt them.” He heart was pounding—there was something terrifying/liberating in no longer putting up a brave front, no longer being strong or tough, and admitting he’d been defeated. “They need a good man to help them. And I’m—I’m not a good man anymore.” He was a shadow of what they needed at best. He was a ticking time bomb at worst. He…

He felt something cold nudging his feet.

“Oh, hello.” Yes, he was miserable, but politeness was still important. Especially when Keith’s beloved cosmic wolf had teleported in his bed. Shiro sat up enough so he could extend his hand for the wolf to sniff. After a tentative moment, the wolf nuzzled his hand, then got comfortable in bed.

“Hey, you. I can’t lie down if you’re in my bed,” Shiro grumbled, suspecting that was the point. He scratched the wolf’s ears. “Of course, I can’t properly scold you if I don’t know your name.”

“We, uh, never named him. Keith entered the cock pit, standing across from Shiro’s makeshift cot. He eyed levelly. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay.” He was getting better at lying. He did his best to smiled. “We have got to stop meeting like this, Keith.”

Keith frowned. “As usual, you’re making bad jokes.”

“As usual, you can’t appreciate my brilliance.” It was weird, falling into this rhythm. Almost like nothing had changed. But his hair and his missing arm said otherwise. “How is everything? I thought we weren’t stopping.”

“We weren’t, but then we found a small moon with some vegetation. We’re letting Kaltenecker graze, and Hunk and Pidge are seeing if there’s anything we non-cows can eat.” Keith shrugged. “I gotta admit, after three weeks of rations I’m ready for something new myself.” 

“Hm.” Shiro tried to get as comfortable as he could, seeing how there was a wolf in his bed. “Well, if anyone can do it, it’s you guys.”

“You know,” Keith said slowly as he somehow found enough free bed space to sit, “you’re still part of the team as well.”

 _Don’t be so naïve, Keith._ “I know,” he said automatically. “They need me.” They needed the Shiro of the past. Someone who was wise but gentle, and always supported them. Not—not this this needy mess he’d become.

Keith shook his head. “Nope, not making that mistake again.” He took Shiro’s hand, squeezing it tight. “We need you, but we want you there as well. This isn’t about who’s the most useful or supportive, Shiro. Friendship doesn’t work that way. Love…” Keith took a deep breath. “Love doesn’t work that way. At least, that’s what I think.”

Shiro’s hand shook as he pulled away, tracing the new scar on Keith’s face. “Even after this?”

“Shiro, when we first met I sliced your leg open when you caught me trying to steal your bike.”

Oh, yeah. “I startled you and it was more an accident than anything else—” Keith placed his hand over Shiro’s mouth.

“If you could forgive me for that, I can forgive you. Not that you’re to blame—that’s all on Haggar.” When Keith smiled like that, Shiro could almost believe him. “I just want to help you get better, that’s all.”

“I’ll try,” Shiro said, like he had before, when all he wanted was to make Keith happy. That much hadn’t changed, at least.

Keith pulled him into a hug. It was warm and secure, and while Shiro wasn’t magically better, he did feel… calmer. Like things were more manageable. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Although I do have one favor to ask.”

“Okay.”

“Um. Could you come up with a cool name for my wolf. Because everyone is saying that they want to—"

“Jean-Luc Picard.”

“My wolf is not—” Keith sighed, defeated. “Well, it’s better than I could think up. Jean-Luc it is.”

“As it was meant to be.” Heh. He almost felt proud of himself.

“Anyways, I need to thank you.” Keith stood up, offering his hand.

Shiro frowned. “I’m not really dressed for going outside.”

“It’s early morning. No one’s gonna notice. C’mon.” 

He felt oddly vulnerable, being led, clad only in his tank top and sweatpants, barefoot. But Keith was in front of him and Jean-Luc was behind him, so he figured he was safe. He flinched when the doors opened, because it was bright…

It was sunrise, and it looked so much like the last one he saw on Earth it hurt. 

… No. It was better than Earth. Because he saw Lance (currently riding Kaltenecker) and Hunk laughing at something Pidge said. Allura and Coran were giggling over the space mice, and Krolia was showing Romelle how to use a sword. 

Lance looked up, saw Shiro—at his lowest—and smiled like a kid on Christmas morning, waving wildly. That got Hunk and Pidge’s attention, and they waved as well.

Shiro did his best not to cry (too much) as he waved back. “Let’s get some breakfast, Keith, before I turn into a sap.”

“They love you,” Keith insisted as he led Shiro in the direction of food. “So do I.”

“Wait.” There was a chance he was going to cry, for real, in front of everyone, but oh well. They’d already accepted him when he was weak, this probably wouldn’t change their opinion of him too much. “Keith, I love you too.”

“Welcome home, sunshine.” Now Keith was crying, and Shiro was grateful that he had at least one arm left to brush away the tears.


End file.
